If you’re tired of marketing creating content nobody uses, and sales going rogue with their own slides, this is for you. Getting these two teams on the same page isn’t easy, but it’s possible—with the right process and some helpful tools. If you’re looking at Akoonu and wondering if it can actually help, or just add more noise, this guide will show you how to make it work (and what to skip).
Why bother aligning marketing and sales content?
Let’s get the obvious out of the way: misaligned teams waste time, confuse buyers, and lose deals. Marketing spends months building slick decks and case studies. Sales ignores them, saying, “That’s not how real customers talk.” It’s annoying, but fixable.
When the teams share a content strategy, you get:
- Fewer “where’s that file?” Slack messages
- Content that’s actually relevant to prospects
- Better feedback on what works (and what doesn’t)
- No more duplicated work
But this only works if you set things up right—and get everyone to actually use the system.
Step 1: Set realistic goals before you touch any software
Sorry, but Akoonu won’t magically solve turf wars or make people care about content. Before you even log in, get everyone (yes, both teams) to agree on:
- What “good” looks like: What’s the goal—more demos? Shorter sales cycles? Fewer content requests?
- Who owns what: Who creates content, who approves it, and who updates it?
- What you’ll track: Are you measuring usage, engagement, or revenue impact?
Pro tip: Skip the big kickoff meeting. Start with a short doc or Slack thread, and build from there. Otherwise, you’ll be scheduling meetings forever.
Step 2: Map your content to the buyer’s journey (for real)
This is where Akoonu can help, but only if you’re honest about your funnel. Don’t just copy a generic template.
- List the real stages buyers go through. Not the ones you wish they did. Think: “Unaware,” “Researching,” “Evaluating,” “Decision.”
- Audit your existing content. What do you actually have? Where are the gaps?
- Ask sales what content they actually use—or wish they had. You’ll get eye-rolls, but it’s worth it.
In Akoonu, you can set up custom journey stages and tag content to each one. But don’t overthink it. If you need to change the stages later, do it. The point is to make it easy for sales to find the right stuff, fast.
What to ignore: Fancy buyer persona diagrams that nobody reads. Focus on the questions buyers ask and the objections they raise.
Step 3: Set up Akoonu for shared visibility (and skip the busywork)
Here’s where you get real benefits—if you do it simply.
- Import your content library. Don’t worry about perfection. Get the main stuff in first: decks, one-pagers, case studies, battlecards.
- Tag each piece by funnel stage, persona, and use case. Keep the tags simple. Too many, and nobody will filter by them.
- Set clear permissions. Decide who can edit, who can just view, and who can request new content.
- Use Akoonu’s integrations (if you need them). If you use Salesforce or Slack, connect them—but only if people will actually use the integration.
Pro tip: Don’t try to “boil the ocean.” Start with your top 10 most-used assets, then expand. If you wait until it’s all organized, it’ll never launch.
Step 4: Make it easy for sales to find and use content
If sales can’t find it, they’ll make their own. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Set up saved views for common scenarios: “Early-stage emails,” “Objection handling,” “Competitive decks.”
- Use Akoonu’s search and filters. Train sales on the basics—don’t assume they’ll figure it out.
- Create a simple request process for when content is missing. Nothing fancy, just a form or Slack channel.
What usually works: Short Loom videos or GIFs showing how to find stuff. Skip the hour-long training.
What doesn’t: Expecting sales to use it just because you sent a memo.
Step 5: Close the feedback loop (honestly)
Uploading content is the easy part. Getting honest feedback is harder.
- Encourage sales to flag what’s missing or outdated. Make it safe to say “this sucks” without blame.
- Track what’s actually getting used. Akoonu can show asset usage and engagement. If nobody’s touching your latest eBook, find out why.
- Meet (briefly) once a month to review. Not a “status update”—just what’s working, what’s not, what needs fixing.
Avoid: Endless debates on messaging. Focus on what helps close deals.
Step 6: Iterate—don’t “set and forget”
Your content needs will change. So will your sales process. The nice thing about Akoonu is you can adjust tags, stages, and permissions as you go.
- Review content quarterly. Prune what’s outdated and highlight what’s working.
- Update your shared goals. If something’s not moving the needle, try a new approach.
- Stay honest. If Akoonu isn’t helping, figure out why. It’s a tool, not a magic wand.
What Akoonu does well (and what it doesn’t)
What works:
- Centralizing content so nobody asks, “Where’s that deck?”
- Tagging assets for buyer stages, personas, and use cases
- Tracking usage to see what content actually helps sales
What doesn’t:
- Forcing teams to use it. Adoption is about process, not just software.
- Fixing broken team dynamics. If marketing and sales hate each other, no tool will fix that.
- Making bad content better. If your messaging is off, Akoonu just organizes it—it doesn’t rewrite it.
Ignore the hype: There’s no such thing as “seamless alignment.” But you can make things a lot less painful.
Keep it simple and keep moving
Shared content strategy isn’t about perfection. Use Akoonu to centralize, tag, and track your assets—but don’t expect miracles. Start small, get feedback, and improve as you go. The less you overcomplicate things, the faster you’ll see results. And if something isn’t working, change it. That’s the real secret to alignment—just keep iterating.